


Wedding Bells

by liamstandbyme



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College Student Keith (Voltron), College Student Lance (Voltron), Fake/Pretend Relationship, Homophobia, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 01:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10776825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liamstandbyme/pseuds/liamstandbyme
Summary: "Keith wasn't really the type of guy to get himself in predicaments. However, this is what one would call a predicament."A college AU where Keith needs a fake date to a wedding and Lance is happy to volunteer.





	1. Chapter 1

Keith wasn't really the type of guy to get himself in predicaments. However, this is what one would call a predicament.

His foster-brother, Alex, from middle school was getting married and Keith was invited to the wedding. Keith had felt self-conscious that Alex was so far ahead with his life that he'd checked the “plus one” box on the RSVP letter. Keith had been expecting to have found someone to go with by now, but, of course, that just wasn't apart of Keith’s luck.

“Hey Shiro?” Keith asked his roommate a few days before the wedding.

“Yeah?” Shiro replied, sounding a little anxious from all the schoolwork piled up in front of him. Keith had walked into his room about an hour ago. He was laying on Shiro’s bed, playing on his phone.

“Do you have any single friends?” Keith asked.

Shiro turned around somewhat violently. His eyebrows were knit and he looked like he was trying to decipher something in Keith’s gaze, “Why?”

“I need to bring someone to this stupid wedding,” Keith sighed and fell back on his bed.

Shiro nodded, “Uhh I don't know. Allura’s single I think.”

Keith snorted, “First of all, she obviously has a ginormous crush on you, Shiro. And second of all, I can't bring a girl. The groom knows I'm gay.”

“You think Allura has a crush on me?” Shiro mused to himself.

“I don't know what to do. It's pretty lame to email them and say that I don't actually have a oneplus, right?”

Shiro shrugged, “You could say you just broke up with your long-term boyfriend.”

Keith nodded, “Do you think that's believable though? And I'm sure they've already set up in anticipation for an extra guest. I am going to be in Minnesota in like two days.”

“What about one of the guys?” Shiro asked.

Keith looked up at him, curiously, “Like from our study group?”

“Yeah! I mean, I know Hunk just broke up with Shay. And Pidge could for sure pass for a guy-”

Keith shook his head, “Hunk wouldn't be believable and Pidge is sixteen now! I'd look like some sort of creep!”

“What about Lance?”

Keith shot Shiro a glare, “What about him?”

Shiro studied Keith carefully, “He’s gay too, right? He’d be believable and I'm sure he'd do it.”

“Bi.”

“What?” Shiro asked.

“He's bi, not gay. And I don't want to take him as my date. He's going to complain the entire time and be a complete asshole. I want to enjoy Alex’s wedding! Not be irritated for the next week and a half,” Keith explained.

“You guys wouldn't actually have to date. Just, I don't know, hold hands or something and stand close to each other. You're a pretty shy guy so I'm sure people wouldn't suspect anyth-” Shiro’s phone rang and he picked it up, “Hello?” he answered.

Keith layed back down on his bed and closed his eyes. He could barely stand Lance for more than twenty minutes. Would he really be able to stay with him for a week and a half?

\--

Keith had been staring at Lance throughout their study group’s entire meeting. He was trying to not make it obvious, but, by the way Lance kept looking at him strangely, Keith could tell he wasn't doing a very good job. Keith came to the conclusion that Lance wouldn't be someone he'd want to be around for one and a half weeks. He'd just tell Alex that him and his plus one had broken up. 

At the end of the meeting, Keith was packing up when Lance walked over, “Hey, Mullet. What's up with you today? You're acting even more creepy than usual, and that's saying something!”

Keith shook his head, “I've just got a lot on my mind, Lance,” he responded.

Confusion spread on Lance’s face, “What would make you so distracted that you had to stare at me for an hour?”

Keith really didn't want to talk about this with Lance. He took a deep breath in and exhaled, “It's just… there's this wedding and I'm really stressed out about it and I need someone to go with but I don't know anyone-” a thought popped into Keith’s head, “Do you have any single friends?” Lance was super well-liked throughout their campus. He probably had lots of single guy-friends

Lance laughed, “This is a weird turn of events. Are you, Keith Kogane, asking me, Lance McClain, for help?” Lance smirked at him. 

Keith knew he shouldn't have talked to Lance. Everything about that boy made Keith’s blood run hot. He wanted to punch that cocky look right off of Lance’s face.

“Nevermind,” Keith mumbled. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and started to walk out of the conference room that the study group had booked.

“Wait, Keith, man. I'm joking! I can help you out!” Lance called. 

Keith turned around and glared at Lance, “How the fuck do you plan on helping?” he asked, hoping Lance was referring to hooking Keith up with a friend.

Lance smiled, “I'll go with you-”

“Fuck off. You don't need to do this.”

“-BUT, you'll owe me five favors. Deal?”

Keith examined Lance’s face, searching for any signs of malice, “I thought you despised me.”

Lance’s mouth turned up into a wicked grin, “I don't despise you! You're just my rival. This will be fun! We can for sure make a contest out of this…”

Lance continued to talk and all Keith could think about was how much he didn't want to do this. But he felt cornered, and Lance was probably the only shot he was going to get.

“You do realize you're going to have to fake being my boyfriend, right?” Keith asked.

Lance nodded, looking like he hadn't really processed Keith's words, “Where is this wedding. Hawaii? Florida? The Bahamas?”

“Minnesota,” Keith deadpanned.

Lance looked mortified, “That's such a boring place to get married. Who are these people?”

“Just some old friends,” Keith smiled to himself.

“So do we have a deal?” Lance asked.

“Huh?” Keith replied.

“Pretending to be your boyfriend until this wedding’s over in exchange for five favors?” Lance stuck out his hand.

Keith shook it, “Deal.”

\--

Keith was regretting his decision already. 

The drive from Chicago to Minneapolis was only six hours, but the constant bickering was tiring, even for Keith. After about twenty minutes of silence, Lance brought up a new topic.

“As your boyfriend, what exactly should I know about you?” Lance asked.

Keith shrugged, “Uh I don't know. I guess my major?”

Lance laughed, “You're an idiot. I meant, like, what’s your favorite movie? Where'd you grow up? How many siblings do you have? What was your dog’s name? Shit like that.”

Keith sat in silence for a second before answering the questions Lance had spewed, “My favorite movie’s probably High and Low. I grew up all around the country. I was first taken in by an orphanage down in Colorado. I was put into foster care when I was eight and moved from state to state. I lived in Denver, Topeka, Minneapolis, and Fargo. The only siblings I had were foster siblings, and I can't count on two hands how many I've had of those. And as for a dog, I've only had two. One was named Spot and the other was named Earl.”

“Your favorite movie is High and Low?” Lance asked with disgust, “That’s such a boring movie.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “You're a fucking dick.”

“And you're such a cliché,” Lance jabbed back.

Keith swiveled in the passenger seat, finally looking at Lance, who was focused on the road, “What do you mean by that?”

“A Japanese-American boy liking a movie made by one of the most famous Japanese directors in history? Sounds pretty cliché to me!” Lance replied, not even sparing Keith a glance.

Keith's mouth was gaping, his brows were furrowed, and he was mad, “What if I’m just trying to attach to my culture?” Keith gritted through his teeth.

“Yeah. But I’m Cuban gay boy and my favorite movie isn't Fresa y Chocolate!”

“Then what is your favorite movie?” Keith asked, although he couldn't care less. He was still trying to figure out if he knew the movie Lance was referencing.

Lance smiled, “Easy. Braveheart.”

“Only assholes like Mel Gibson,” Keith scoffed.

“You're impossible,” Lance replied.

“You're… intolerable!” Keith shot back.

The rest of the car ride was used to help Keith calm down. He took deep breaths and reminded himself that this was only for a week and a half.

As they entered Minneapolis, Keith started to pay more attention to his surroundings. He didn't recognize much, but there was still a familiarity about the city that made him nostalgic for his youth.

Lance pulled up to a driveway that Keith did not recognize, “Are you sure this is it?” he asked. 

Lance nodded, “2208, right there,” he replied, pointing to the address in gold lettering labeled on the house. 

Keith nodded and started to get out of the car. However, he was pulled back by a strong grip on his wrist. He turned and looked at Lance, whose cheeks had heated up.

“I grew up in Albuquerque by the way. I have five siblings and my dog was named Rolo,” Lance said slowly.

Keith nodded and started to pull away, but Lance’s grip on him tightened. Keith looked back towards Lance, just wanting to get out of that car.

Lance was looking down at the floor, “Look. I’ve been surrounded by a Cuban family for entire life. I grew up speaking Spanish, eating boliche, and celebrating el Día de la Revolución. I had the privilege to learn about my culture from my family and what it meant to them. I understand that you probably didn’t have that, and I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t think before I talked. Of course you can like whatever movies you want.”

And with that, Lance got out of the car and started to pull out their luggage, leaving an absolutely stunned Keith sitting in his black Ford Focus.


	2. Chapter 2

As Lance unpacked the car, Keith walked up to the doorstep. Anxiously, he rang the doorbell. He hadn't seen Alex for over four years and he was nervous about how they'd both changed.

The door swung open and a young woman stood on the other end. Her hair was brown and cut short into a pixie cut. She had brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and she was pretty slim. She had a brown sweater on and blue jeans.

Her face glowed up when she saw Keith, “I recognize you from the pictures! You must be Keith!”

Keith smiled and nodded, “And you must be Georgia?”

Georgia stuck out her hand, “Yup! It's great to finally meet you! Alex talks about you a lot.”

Keith grabbed her hand and shook it. He had a feeling he was going to like her.

Georgia glanced behind him, brows furrowed. He turned around and saw Lance walking up with the luggage.

“Oh! This is my… boyfriend, Lance,” Keith explained, barely managing to get the word “boyfriend” out of his mouth.

Lance beamed at Georgia and gave a small salute, “Thank you so much for letting us stay here for the wedding.”

Georgia nodded, “Of course!” she replied. Her smile was fake this time, like she was trying really hard to make a good impression. She looked somewhat distressed. Keith began to worry that she wasn't going to be cool with him being gay. “Let me show you boys to your room.”

Keith took his duffel bag from Lance and followed Georgia. The house was small and had an open floor-plan. The walls were painted a bright baby blue. Keith could tell that Georgia had decorated the entire house. Alex didn't strike him as the type of person to care. 

Georgia lead them up the creaky, wood stairs and into a long hallway. She opened the first door on the right and walked in, “This is your guys’ room,” she explained.

Keith nodded and set down his duffel. Lance placed his suitcase next to it. Lance smiled and said, “Thank you!”

“The bathroom’s at the end of the hallway. I'll let you two get situated and unpacked. Come downstairs if you need anything! I'd be happy to take you on a tour of the house,” she started to walk out of the room but turned around almost immediately, “Oh! And Alex should be home in an hour or two.” And with that she was gone.

Keith could hear her walk down the staircase and waited to say anything after she was completely out of hearing range. He shut the door and started to unpack.

“I don't think she liked me,” Lance stated.

Keith shrugged, “What side of the bed do you want?”

Lance glanced over at the bed with lacy, white sheets, “I'll take the left side. I like to sleep next to the wall.”

Keith nodded and continued to unpack, putting clothes in the drawers and dressers around him. He had grown up sleeping in the same bed as some of his foster-siblings and (with a family of five) he assumed Lance was used to it too.

“So. When's the wedding?” Lance asked.

“Uhh I think it's in a week.”

“Cool.”

It was silent again while they both unpacked. When Keith was finished, he sat up on his side of the bed with a book. He could feel Lance’s eyes on him.

“I'm going to go downstairs,” Lance announced.

Keith nodded and continued to read his book.

“Just in case she asks, how did we meet?” asked Lance.

Keith looked up, “Just tell her how we actually met.”

Lance nodded, “How'd we start dating, then?”

Keith paused, “Uh, you probably asked me out, right? I mean you're the more outgoing one, so it makes more sense.” Keith’s cheeks we're starting to heat up. He wondered if Lance could tell how uncomfortable he was.

Lance nodded again, “Okay. Sounds good.” He got up and walked out of the room, disappearing from Keith’s sight. 

Keith sighed and put his book down. Lance seemed a little on edge. He should have brought someone he was better friends with. This entire situation would have been easier. Keith wondered if this meant he would get closer to Lance. The idea didn't disgust him like he thought it would have. Keith knew that Lance didn't really get in arguments with anyone else (or, at least, not like how he did with Keith). He wondered if they wouldn't fight as much if they were better friends.

That would be nice, Keith thought to himself, not having to think of witty comebacks every seven seconds.

Keith placed the book on the bedside table and yawned. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon and traveling with Lance had worn him out. He layed down and closed his eyes.

\--

When Keith woke up, it was darker in his room. There was a blanket spread out on top of him, which he was sure hadn't been there before. He rubbed his eyes, groggily and checked the clock. It was 6:30. Keith groaned and rolled out of bed, deciding to go downstairs and see what Lance was up to. 

He didn't really know his way around the house. He could hear laughter, so he decided to follow the voices. He passed through what he assumed to be the living room and looked at the photos. 

There were many hanging up on the walls and placed on bookshelves. He looked at one of the framed ones and smiled. It was an adorable photo of Alex carrying Georgia. They were both laughing, and it looked like they were on a mountain somewhere. Keith continued to look at the photos until he found one that made him smile even wider.

It was a family photo of Keith’s old foster family. Alex and him were standing next to each other, arms wrapped around each other's backs. Jessie, Alex’s little sister, was standing next to Alex, pouting.

Keith walked into the kitchen. Lance was sitting on one of the stools at the island and Georgia and Alex were standing behind it, chopping up vegetables.

Lance turned to Keith and grinned, “Morning, babe.”

Keith stiffened at Lance’s use of the word. It rolled off Lance’s tongue easily, like he’s used to saying it all the time. Keith wondered how far Lance would be willing to take being Keith’s fake boyfriend.

Alex looked up and he scrambled over to where Keith was standing, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. Keith hugged back and buried his head into Alex's shoulder.

Alex pulled away and smiled softly, “It's been a long time.”

Keith nodded, feeling a pang of guilt as he was reminded that it was his fault that they never saw each other. Keith had tried to distance himself from Alex after he had moved to North Dakota to live with another foster family.

“You're boyfriend was just telling us about your friend group,” Georgia interrupted.

Alex returned to his station at the cutting board. He continued to slice peppers into thin pieces. Keith decided to sit next to Lance. 

“What about them?” Keith asked.

“Nothing really. I was just telling them about Pidge and how badass she is,” Lance replied. 

Keith raised an eyebrow, “Badass?”

“Yeah!” Lance laughed, “She's so cool. She's a highschooler but she's taking her classes at community college. I think that’s pretty badass.” Lance reached out and started to rub Keith’s knee. Keith stifled at the touch, but relaxed when he saw Georgia’s eyes watching it. 

“When did you get home?” Keith asked Alex, changing the subject.

“Around 3:45, I think? Lance went up to get you but you were knocked out,” Alex replied.

Keith nodded, “Yeah. Traveling with Lance is always a bit exhausting.”

Lance giggled, “It’s not like traveling with you is the best thing either!”

Alex laughed, “You two are cute! When did you start dating?”

Lance and Keith both shared a look and Lance nodded, “A year and a half ago? We met at the beginning of Freshman year.”

Alex nodded, “And how did you guys meet?”

Lance squeezed Keith’s knee which made Keith jump (he’d forgotten Lance’s hand had been there), “Uhh our roommates knew each other. Did Lance talk about Hunk or Shiro?” Keith asked.

Georgia paused, “Is Hunk the one from Hawaii? And Shiro’s the senior, right?” 

Lance nodded, “Hunk was my roommate and Shiro was Keith’s. Shiro had an apartment that Keith crashed at and Hunk and I lived in the dorms. Hunk knew Shiro from a restaurant they both worked at. All four of us started hanging out once they grew closer.”

“Keith, how did you know Shiro?” Alex asked.

Keith blushed and glanced at Lance, “We… uh… I dated his younger brother.”

“No way!” Lance exclaimed, his mouth opened wide, “I didn’t know that!”

Keith gulped, worrying that that might have been a fact his boyfriend should have known, “Yeah. It’s kind of embarrassing. Shiro was always awesome to me though, and he was totally up to help out and give me a place to crash for a little bit. Obviously, a little bit turned into two years.”

“How long did you date his brother?” Alex asked, giving Keith a suspicious look. Keith looked down at his hands.

“Probably eight months? I don’t know we broke up because we decided a long-distance relationship wasn’t going to work. I mean, he was going to Occidental and I was moving to Chicago.”

The only sound in the room was a knife against a cutting board. Lance quickly changed the subject, “How did you two meet?”

Both Georgia and Alex stopped chopping. They looked at each other and shared a smile. “We met in high school. Alex was my TA for Spanish class.”

“You speak Spanish?” Lance asked, perking up.

Georgia laughed a little, “¡Sí! ¿Y tú?”

“¡Finalmente! ¡Un gringo que habla español!” Lance responded.

Georgia and Lance continued to talk to each other in Spanish. Keith watched them, smiling to himself. They were getting along well, which was what Keith had been worried about. He had been scared that Lance would be completely unlikable.

After a minute or so, Alex gave Keith a small nudge on the shoulder. Keith looked up at him and raised his eyebrow.

“Want to go for a walk?” Alex asked, quietly.

Keith nodded, following Alex as they slipped out the back door.

\--

They’d walked around Minneapolis for about thirty-five minutes. Alex took him to where their middle school used to be and the gas station that was in its place. They sat out front, drinking slurpees.

“So Lance is quite a character,” Alex stated.

Keith laughed, “Yeah. He can be a handful sometimes.”

“He doesn’t really seem like your type.”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ve changed.” Keith took a sip of his slurpee and stared out into the empty lot. He wondered how Alex was processing his statement or if he would question Keith further.

They stood in a comfortable silence for a little while longer, taking small sips of their slurpees. Every once in awhile, a car would pass by on the street. Keith had a hard time imagining that this was where his old middle school used to be. The amount of property seemed small compared to what he remembered.

“Georgia's pregnant,” Alex said.

Keith’s eyes widened, “Dude, no way!”

Alex smiled and nodded, “Yeah. We found out about a week ago.”

Keith pulled Alex into a hug, “Wow. You’re all grown up.”

Alex laughed at this, “I guess. I mean, I just graduated from college, I have a job at a local television station, I have my own house, I’m getting married. It all feels so surreal.”

“I’m really happy for you, Al,” Keith admitted.

Alex smiled to himself. He turned back out and took another sip of his slurpee, “You’re going to be an uncle.”

Keith liked the idea of that, “Not technically.”

Alex looked at Keith, his lips turned down into a frown, “What do you mean?”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Come on, Alex. Try to explain to your kid why their uncle’s Japanese and why their grandparents hate him.”

“I bet it wouldn’t be that difficult to explain,” Alex responded, simply.

“I’m not even adopted, Al. I have no relation to your family whatsoever.”

Alex looked hurt at this, “Of course you do! You lived with us for, what, three years? That’s gotta be enough embarrassing middle school stories to last a lifetime. Jessie and I love you so much, Keith. You’re family to us.”

Keith nodded, took a final sip of his slurpee, and threw it away. He started walking towards the direction they came from, his hands shoved into his pockets.

Alex threw away his slurpee too and ran after him, “Keith, wait.”

Keith stopped and turned around, “What?”

“Mom and Dad are assholes for throwing you out, but your grudge against them shouldn’t be against me or Jessie. We tried to calm them down but they wouldn’t listen. You are our brother, no matter if you’re their son or not.”

There was a long pause before Keith whispered, “Thank you, Al.” His eyes were watering and a lump was quickly rising in his throat. He looked away from Alex quickly and rubbed the tears from his cheeks. He took in a deep, shaky breath and exhaled, trying to focus his mind on something else.

“Let’s go home,” Alex said softly, reaching his hand onto Keith’s shoulder.

Keith nodded, his breath shuddering. He let Alex wrap his arm around Keith’s torso and walk him back to his house.

\--

Keith was in the bathroom washing his face. He’d tried not to think about his discussion with Alex for the rest of the night, and he’d had a somewhat pleasant evening. He sighed as he placed the washcloth down and stared at himself in the mirror.

Keith wasn’t the biggest fan of his features. He thought they were pretty average-looking. East Asians were almost never portrayed in mainstream American media as attractive, so Keith never really thought he was good-looking. He didn’t have any parents or siblings to bring up his self-confidence either.

Keith exited the bathroom, making his way to the end of the hallway, and then turned into his room. He closed the door behind him and ruffled through his bag for his charger. Lance was curled up on his side of the bed, playing on his phone. He looked up when Keith entered the room.

“Hey, are you alright? You’ve been acting weird ever since you got back,” Lance asked.

“Fuck off, Lance,” Keith responded.

Lance rolled his eyes, “Real fucking mature, Keith. I was just asking. You don’t have to get so defensive.”

“I’m not getting defensive! It’s just none of your business,” Keith responded.

“I was trying to help, okay? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What the fuck is wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you? You can’t just ask people personal shit like that!” Keith shouted.

There was a knock on the door which made them both stiffen, “Are you two okay?” Georgia called from the other side of the door.

“We’re fine, Georgie!” Lance answered in a sing-song voice.

“Georgie?” Keith hissed.

“While you were out with Alex, Georgia and I bonded,” he replied, shrugging.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Yeah!” Lance responded.

Georgia walked into the guest room, looking a little pale, “Uh, if you guys get hungry or thirsty or something, help yourself to the food downstairs. I’m going to go to bed, but feel free to wake me up if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Keith mumbled.

Georgia nodded and walked out of their room, closing the door behind her.

Keith sighed and climbed into the bed, turning the lamp on the bedside table off after pulling the sheets over him. Once he turned the light off, he rolled over on his back and got comfortable.

“Uh Keith?” Lance asked.

“Hmm?” Keith grunted in reply.

“Can you charge my phone? The chargers next to the table.”

Keith nodded and grabbed the phone from Lance’s hand. He found the charger and stuck the cable into the iphone. He got back into the position he’d been in before and closed his eyes.

After a couple of minutes, he heard Lance’s breathing deepen. He looked over at the boy, his eyes now adjusted to the dark, and tried to make out what he could of him. He stared at Lance’s silhouette and thought about the argument they’d had before. He realized he’d overreacted and that Lance hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He knew that Lance didn’t hear it, but he hoped that the apology was enough for now. He’d try to remember to apologize again in the morning.

Keith closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He tried not to think about Lance and what he’d said to Keith in the car earlier that day. It was a side of Lance that he hadn’t seen before. One that seemed caring and thoughtful. One that Keith actually thought he could be friends with.

He was just on the verge of sleep when he heard it:

“I’m sorry too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I swear that the next chapter will feature more Klance. I just needed to establish Alex and Georgia's characters first!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support this has been getting. I hope you guys continue to read :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> This is my first fanfic and I'm so thankful if you're reading it. I absolutely love fake relationship fics and I decided that there weren't enough of them out there. I hope you all enjoy!


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